Frequently Asked Questions
Robert Hiltzik couldn't tell you anything on the DVD commentary, or at the Sleepaway Camp reunion. So, I decided to compile your questions, and answer them the correct way. Of course I don't know everything, but I can tell you alot more than the movie's patriarch can.

Q:Where was Sleepaway Camp filmed?
A: On Summit Lake in Argyle, New York. Robert Hiltzik attended the former Camp Algonquin as a boy
and came back years later to direct the film which was based on a thesis he had written for college. The interior shots of Aunt Martha's house were filmed
on a sound stage replica of the actual house used for the exterior shot. That house was randomly chosen by Robert Hiltzik, and is located in Glens Falls, New York.

Q: Was there any footage filmed that didn't make it into the final cut of Sleepaway Camp?
A: Robert Hiltzik says no, but Jonathan Tierston claims there was. In an interview given by Jeff Hayes, he says, "There was some. The baseball game was a lot longer...and the scene where I am talking to Mozart was originally a LOT longer...I told Robert that it was too long and that made it boring." A few years ago, several people claimed to have seen Sleepaway Camp including extra footage, however, noone could produce a copy to prove the rumor true. Jonathen Tierston may have been referring to the script, not the actual filmed footage. And the people who claimed to have seen it? They probably just wanted attention.

Q: Was there an alternate cut of Sleepaway Camp featuring alternate and/or extended scenes, one of which being Angela holding Paul's head instead of the knife?
A: No. A few years ago someone claimed to have seen a copy of Sleepaway Camp where Angela holds Paul's head instead of the knife, Angela is arrested by a police officer, Angela is admitted into a psychiactric hospital, Ricky has twice as many curse words come out of his mouth, the baseball scene is twice as long, and the "mind over matter" scene was twice as long. Of course, noone could produce a copy to prove it! These rumors can only be explained by assuming the people who spread them hadn't seen Sleepaway Camp since they were very young, and they remember things differently than how they really were.

Q: Whose penis is that?
A: There was an open call for someone to stand in for Felissa Rose at the end of the movie. A college student from Albany was paid fifty bucks or so to wear the wig and the plaster mask of Felissa Roses' face. According to Felissa and Robert Hiltzik, the college student got drunk before doing that scene. He was not an actor, and he goes uncredited.

Q: Does Frank Vinci still have the original recordings of the three songs featured in Sleepaway Camp, and will a soundtrack ever be released?
A: No, Frank Vinci does not have the original recordings of "Angela's Theme", "Tonight You're Mine", and "Take A Chance". As for a soundtrack being released, I highly doubt it seeing as he does not have the original recordings.

Q: Why was Anchor Bay's release of Sleepaway Camp cut, and what are the exact cuts I should be looking for?
A: Supposedly the prints Anchor Bay aqquired to work with were already cut when they received them, and Anchor Bay didn't know until the DVD and VHS were already manufactured and released. A recall is not financially possible.
There were two prints, one for the VHS, and another for the DVD, that feature different abnormalities. Not only are scenes altered, but sound and dialogue are effected as well. You can read about the abnormalities here.

Q: Where can I find original copies of Sleepaway Camp, Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers, and Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland?
A: The only place you can find original copies of the films on VHS is on eBay. Fortunately, when the sequels were released on DVD, they were intact and were given the first class treatment of a perfect transfer, as well as featuring uncut death sequences on the extras.

Q: How were the special effects done, and who is responsible for doing them?
A: Ed French is responsible for the special effects done in Sleepaway Camp. To read an article which was featured in Fangoria magazine, go here. That's the best I can do.